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At bistara, we empower college students to be their own boss
through creative freelancing. We sat down with one of our favorite
performers and recent Berklee College of Music alumni Alex.

How did you balance freelancing and going to school?
Growing up, I studied at the Conservatory in Normandy, France. I was also giving lesson at the
same time to be able to sustain myself. I was surrounded by older and more experienced people
who told me about how important it is to see outside of the school realm. Playing shows, making
connections, how to be professional, show up on time and think about the music and not just
personal skills. So I would go to class five hours a day and then give lesson or go to a gig right
after and take the free time to practice and of course, see my family and my friends. It’s really
just about how to organize your day the most efficiently possible.
How did you manage stress?
The only kind of stress that I experienced was good stress. It was the kind that pushed me to get
things done right and on time. Why? because I loved what I was doing, so it was stress to submit
a personal project on time, stress right before going on stage that motivated me to perform well.
It was always something positive that forced me to apply myself.
This is how I looked at it.

Now that you are alumni, how do you find freelance gigs?
Mostly through the connections that I made over the years. As I said before, I was playing a lot
professionally while still in school and from one gig to an other you meet more and more people
and if you did your job right then people call you again.
Building a career is a slow process when you’re new to a city, but then the more people hear you
play, the more people know they can call you for a project if you did you job right. So, don’t make
the mistake of not going out of the practice room, people need to hear you. You have to play
your heart even on low key performances. You never know who is going to be there!
How do you price your services?
It really depends on the contractor. If it’s a big company, they generally won’t be too inclined to
negotiate. But I try to keep a minimum standard that reflect my worth (the amount of time that
I put working on my skills to provide the best possible work).
What do you do when you have a creative block?
When I have a creative block, I usually take a break and listen to some other music. I feel that
trying too hard is counter-productive. So, I usually take a break and think of something
completely different that will allow me to distance myself from the project I am working on and
when I come back to it, it feels fresh again. If not, I use theory and methods I learned at school
which inspire me, and the creativity comes back. If that doesn’t work either I just move on and
work on other things that would inspire me more on the moment. I feel like going out, walk
around, go to the movies is a great way to get inspiration.
How do you keep your creative juices flowing/stay inspired?
Because of life. Sounds cheesy but as Human, we should be thankful to be born, life is interesting,
there are good and bad moments but in the end, they are just moments. Music is my way to
express those moments. It’s a whole different realm of communication, almost another reality.
It’s easy for me to access it because it is simple things that can take me there: walking in the
street, meeting people, loving, hating and that makes an infinite source of inspiration. Also my
heroes (Seamus Blake, Ben Wendel, Chris Cheek, Chris Potter) inspire and motivate me.